Project information

Forests for Food

This project will improve the lives of poor families in the Basona Werana district of Ethiopia. Providing resource management training and planting 600,000 trees will replace lost tree cover, conserve soils and water and open up new opportunities for generating income through non-timber products.

Charity information: TREE AID

Need

With population growth and the need for more food and fuel, the land is cropped and grazed more intensively. Trees disappear from the landscape, even sacred areas around monasteries, and erosion degrades the soils. Fuelwood has become a scarce resource with an increasing cash value. Women and children must often travel long distances to collect what little remains. As a result crop residues and dung are being used for fuel rather than for soil improvement, leading to a cycle of land degradation.

Solution

This project will improve the lives of poor families by helping them to restore the environment they depend upon. Working with 3 Peasant Associations and 2 monasteries in the Basona Werana district, the project will replace lost tree cover, conserve soils and water and open up new opportunities for generating income. Local people will learn how to use trees to improve farm production as well as meeting their most immediate needs for fuel and food.

What success will look like

Success will be the establishment of orchards, plantations and private tree nurseries to support the plans for tree planting.

Aim 2

community awareness raising and mobilisation

Activities

» training of key delegates from each Peasant Association on the potential for trees to support livelihoods and environmental security. » awareness raising through public gatherings in each community. » experience-sharing exchange visits for community members. » establishment of community committees to identify and manage degraded lands in each Peasant Association.

What success will look like

Success will culminate in the establishment of community committees acting to identifiy and manage degraded lands in each Peasant Association area.

Aim 3

fuel saving stoves and composting for better land management

Activities

» promotion of compost production and recycling of crop residues for soil enrichment. » demonstration trial of fuel efficient stoves made from local materials in 10 households. » distribute and set up 500 fuel saving stoves in beneficiary households.

What success will look like

Success will be the distribution of stoves and training to households and the uptake of composting animal dung and crop residues instead of using them as fuel.

Aim 4

promoting alternative income generation schemes

Activities

» in consultation with the communities, identify options for income diversification based on local natural resources. » technical training for 100 households to develop relevant skills and knowledge. » support for initiating and monitoring income generating activities.

What success will look like

Success will be an improvement in income comparative to the socio-economic (baseline) survey that was conducted in 2009.

Impact

Providing resource management training and planting 600,000 trees will replace lost tree cover, conserve soils and water and open up new opportunities for generating income through non-timber products.

Risk

The survival and growth of tree seedlings planted out during adverse weather conditions could be a risk. This can be mitigated by training in the optimum time to plant out and the ongoing care required to ensure strong, healthy trees.

Reporting

A baseline survey will be conducted against which project impact will be assessed. A midterm project evaluation will be undertaken after 36 months to inform planning for the second phase of the project.
Donors will receive twice yearly progress reports.

Current Funding / Pledges

Location

The project is located in the Ethiopian highlands of Basona Werana. Poverty, driven by environmental degradation, is having a massive impact on the lives of these communities and traditional livelihoods are no longer viable. Many men of working age must leave the land to seek work in towns and cities.

Beneficiaries

The people of Basona Werana are of the Amhara ethnic group. Literacy rates are very low and few children are able to attend school. There is some livestock husbandry, but the main activity in the area is crop farming. Barley, corn, millet, sorghum and teff (similar to millet), along with beans, peppers, chick-peas and other vegetables are the most important crops. With such an immediate relationship with their environment their livelihoods are at serious risk as pressures on the land increased.

Why Us?

At TREE AID, we know that tackling poverty and environmental protection are inseparable. We help villagers in the drylands of Africa unlock the potential of trees to break the cycle of environmental decline and poverty. We help create self-reliance for poor communities building not only their chances of survival but also their dignity and respect. We have a long-term proven track record of producing great results.